A-list celebrities, including Madonna and Natalie Portman, have joined Ivanka Trump ins throwing support behind the state of Israel as the country deals with the most devastating terrorist attack in its history.
The statements of support come as over 700 people in Israel have been killed since the horror began over the weekend. ‘Love and prayers for the people of Israel,’ Ivanka, who converted to Judaism when she married her husband, Jared Kushner, an Orthodox Jew, in 2009, wrote in a post on her Instagram Story.
‘What is Happening in Israel is Devastating. Watching all of these families and especially children being herded, assaulted and murdered in the streets is Heartbreaking. Imagine if this was happening to you?? It’s Un-fathomable,’ Madonna wrote in a post alongside a video showing the timeline of the recent terror attacks.
‘Conflicts can never be resolved with violence. Unfortunately, Humanity does not understand this Universal truth. My heart goes out to Israel. To Families and Homes that have been destroyed. To children who are lost. To Innocent Victims who have Been Killed. Let us all Pray. For Israel. For Peace,’ the legendary singer added.
Israeli-born Oscar-winner Natalie Portman wrote that her ‘heart is shattered for the people of Israel.’
In March 2023, Ivanka posted a photo of herself deep in prayer with her forehead and hand resting on the women’s section of the wall
‘Children, women and the elderly have been murdered and abducted from their own homes. I am in horror at these barbaric acts and my heart is pounding with love and prayer for the families of all affected,’ Portman, who disabled comments on her post, added.
Fellow Israel native, Wonder Woman star Gal Gadot posted the same timeline video as Madonna and also wrote in a separate post: ‘I stand with Israel you should too. The world cannot sit on the fence when these horrific acts of terror are happening!’
Meanwhile Star Wars star and outspoken liberal commentator Mark Hamill tweeted a picture of an American flag next to an Israeli flag alongside the words: ‘America stands with Israel.’
Scream star Liev Schreiber wrote on social media: ‘We stand with the people of Israel and the IDF in their fight against Hamas and other terrorist groups. We hope this war ends as soon as possible, for the sake of peace.’
Actress Isla Fisher, who converted to Judaism in 2007 just prior to her marriage to Sacha Baron Cohen, posted: ‘There is no excuse for the deliberate killing and kidnapping of innocent civilians anytime anywhere ever.’
Fisher also posted an image of Israeli citizens Doron Asher and her daughters, who are thought to have been taken hostage by Hamas in southern Israel.
Wonder Woman star Gal Gadot wrote on Instagram: ‘I stand with Israel and you should too’
On Monday, the Israeli government formally declared war and gave the green light for ‘significant military steps’ to retaliate against Hamas for its surprise attack, as the military labored into Monday to crush fighters still in southern towns and intensified its bombardment of the Gaza Strip.
The toll passed 1,100 dead and thousands wounded on both sides.
More than 40 hours after Hamas launched its unprecedented incursion out of Gaza, Israeli forces were still battling with militants holed up in several locations.
At least 700 people have reportedly been killed in Israel — a staggering toll on a scale the country has not experienced in decades — and more than 400 have been killed in Gaza.
Israel said it brought in special forces to try to wrest control of four Israeli sites from Hamas fighters, including two kibbutzim that militants entered earlier in their attacks.
Footage released by Israeli police from one area showed forces kneeling in tall grass as they exchanged fire with Hamas militants across an open field.
The declaration of war portended greater fighting ahead, and a major question was whether Israel would launch a ground assault into Gaza, a move that in the past has brought intensified casualties.
More than 40 hours after Hamas launched its unprecedented incursion out of Gaza, Israeli forces were still battling with militants holed up in several locations
Meanwhile, Hamas and the smaller Islamic Jihad group claimed to have taken captive more than 130 people from inside Israel and brought them into Gaza, saying they would be traded for the release of thousands of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel.
The announcement, though unconfirmed, was the first sign of the scope of abductions.
The captives are known to include soldiers and civilians, including women, children and older adults — mostly Israelis but also some people of other nationalities. The Israeli military said only that the number of captives is “significant.”
The Israeli military estimated 1,000 Hamas fighters took part in Saturday’s initial incursion.
The high figure underscored the extent of planning by the militant group ruling Gaza, which has said it launched the attack in response to mounting Palestinian suffering under Israel’s occupation and blockade of Gaza.
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